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Samsung prepares to ship first Origami PC

Samsung is planning a May 1 launch of its small "ultra-mobile" PC, the Q1, at …

Last month, Microsoft officially unveiled its Origami form factor and software bundle, a compact, wide-screen PC with a virtual touchscreen keyboard operated by the user's thumbs. Prototype units were demonstrated by several companies at the CeBit trade show in Germany, but Samsung is the first to bring Origami to market. The company is taking preorders now, and has invited journalists to a launch event on May 1.

Samsung's Q1. Source: CNET.

The Q1 is powered by an Intel Celeron M ULV running at 900 MHz, with Intel 915 integrated graphics running a 7-inch 800x480 display. The unit has a single SO-DIMM memory socket with 512 MB of RAM. Internal storage comes from an iPod-sized hard drive, from 20 to 60 GB. Connectivity is supplied by 10/100 Ethernet and a 802.11b/g wireless mini-card, as well as built-in Bluetooth. An 8-way directional pad and four user-defined buttons provide input, in addition to the aforementioned touch-sensitive virtual keyboard.

Samsung claims the unit will get 3.5 hours of battery life under typical usage, or 1.4 hours playing back a DVD—presumably ripped to the hard drive first, as there is no optical storage in the unit, which weights 779 grams (27.5 ounces) and measures 227.5 x 139.5 x 24.5 mm (9 x 5.5 x 1 inches).

Software supplied with the unit includes Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, with additional applications that provide the virtual thumb-keyboard and organize media files. The media interface is kind of a cross between Windows Media Center Edition and the Sony PSP, which will draw the inevitable comparisons between Sony's gaming product.

While enticing from a gadget-lover's perspective, the Q1 is in the same uncomfortable niche that ultimately doomed the Apple Newton: too big to carry around in a pocket, yet too small to compete well with a full-featured laptop. Samsung has been hard at work trying to come up with possible uses for its device, including a dashboard-mounted unit hooked up to a GPS receiver and mapping software.

Whether or not consumers will buy into the Origami revolution may depend on a number of factors, the most important of which being the price. Samsung has not yet announced final pricing on the Q1, but has said that the European model will start at around US$1,200. At that price, the unit will find it difficult to appeal to most consumers. It will also be compared to devices such as the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, which offers many of the same features, albeit in a lower powered unit, at a greatly reduced price (the Nokia 770 retails for US$359). Still, that doesn't stop me from wanting one.